Allelic variations at the HvSNF2 and HvBM5 loci are associated with the heading date and growth habit of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) under a semi-arid climate

The heading date and growth habit are key factors that regulate the transition from the vegetative to the reproductive stage in barley. In this study, we used PCR based markers to identify the allelic variations in the Vrn-H1 (HvMB5) and Vrn-H2 (HvSNF2) genes and to predict the heading date and growth habit of a collection of Tunisian barley assessed under a semi-arid climate. The allelic variation at HvBM5 revealed two PCR fragments at 830 and 344 bp. Primer sets used to amplify the HvSNF2 gene have resulted in different alleles size of 543, 623, and 700 bp. Different allelic combinations of HVBM5 and HvSNF2 were associated with the heading date and growth habit. The spring and early heading accessions were only characterised by the amplification of the HvSNF2 fragment at 700 bp. All the winter accessions yielded the PCR product HvBM5 at 830 bp, but the variation in the heading date was determined by the HvSNF2 alleles. These DNA markers will be a powerful tool to predict the heading date and growth habit and can be used as markers for the assisted selection to speed up the national breeding programme.